Overview
- The peer-reviewed description of Norellraptor barsboldi was published Sept. 29, 2026, in Nature Communications based on an exquisitely preserved, nearly complete specimen from the Jiufotang Formation in Liaoning, China.
- The specimen is a small microraptorine about 57 cm long whose bones and partial feather impressions let researchers document detailed anatomy and growth patterns for the clade.
- Phylogenetic mapping in the paper scored 194 anatomical changes along the microraptorine branch and found roughly 30% overlap with bird (avialan) traits, but the order in which shared features appeared differs between the two lineages.
- Osteohistological study of the forelimb bones indicates a distinct limb growth model for microraptorines, including relatively early or precocial forelimb development compared with modern birds.
- Authors and commentators say the findings support convergent assembly of flight-related features and raise questions about whether microraptorines glided, used a mix of gliding and flapping, or achieved powered flight, with further fossils and analyses needed to resolve function across Paraves.